I found a Bianchi Eros online for 525, the seller says he's flexible but said 450 was too low...he says and it looks in excellent condition but wanted yalls opinion before making hour commute to see it...

Here's what they supposedly sold for new. https://www.bicyclebluebook.com/Sear...61&model=40818

I've seen people around here at BF pooh pooh Bicycle Blue Book as complete nonsense, but I've used it before to help negotiations with a CL seller. If your seller is informed and has reasons to disregard BBB, it won't help, but most CL sellers are not that informed, so I'd give it a try, send him the link for the year you're looking at as an argument that your offer of $450 is generous, or at least fair.

You can also try to call his bluff; if you believe $525 is really overpriced then you can say "no thanks, but if you change your mind let me know, I might not have bought a different bike yet". If it sits on CL with no offers for long enough, he might come back.

For me $450 is a fair offer. My first road bike buy was I think $425 or $450, it was a similar year/spec Trek. It was only 8-speed, but it also came with a spare wheelset.

For $525, that bike better be in tip-top condition: brand new tires, tape, cables, housing, cassette and chain less than 1000mi use, BB smooth, shifters dialed in, wheels very true, and most importantly, a perfect fit for your body. Maybe some nice extras like Lights? Computer? Pump?